Hero of the Wastes
by GamerTacticsInc
Summary: The Courier has helped many in his career as a hero. Two people in particular, have a special gratitude to him. Joana and Carlitos owe the Courier thanks for more than just his help to them, but also his help for their child, Link. During Link's seventeenth birthday, an old enemy comes back to tie up loose ends. Rated T for violence and adult and sexually suggestive themes.


**A/N: Hey all, I was playing Fallout and shooting some Legionaries when I got this cool idea in my head. I already have two chapters written and working on the third as this is published. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy. Review and favorite! Criticism is always welcome, that is of course, as long as it IS criticism and not hate.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout or the Legend of Zelda**

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War. War never changes.

Since the dawn of time, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything: for God, to psychotic rage.

In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation.

But it was not, as some predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world - but war, war never changes_._

After the openings of the vaults, people spread and began to rebuild civilization, and this was no different for the New Vegas Valley. In fact, the people of New vegas thrived. But soon, other began seeking what the New Vegas citizens had. The N.C.R. was there to protect, but the Legion began manifesting itself on the other side of the Colorado River.

For a while, the war came to a standstill, then a lone courier came along and moved it forward. Some say the courier rose from the grave to save New Vegas, others say they never really existed, but a certain couple have proof the he did exist.

Joana had been thrown into Gomorrah to work as an "escort" and her lover, Carlitos, fell into depression. Soon Joana was addicted to a dangerous chem known as Jet, and became the victim of sexual abuse by the Omertas. The courier snuck the couple out of the Strip and helped them make a safe getaway. The couple fled from the Strip and finally found a small town called Goodsprings. They expected it to be far enough that the Omertas wouldn't look for them. It also seemed to be pretty peaceful. It was the perfect place to raise a child in.

Joana told Carlitos of the pregnancy and the couple was happy for a long time. When the child was born, the initial shock was enough to create a bit of a boundary between the two, as the child was not Carlitos'. Instead of the expected dark brown, the boy had dirty blonde hair. Eventually, Carlitos excepted the boy as his own and the couple was happy again.

As the boy grew, he became enticed by pre-war writing, especially fantacy stories of knights and heroes. The boy loved the stories so much, he wanted to be like the knights. He carved a large sword from a bighorner horn and trained with it. He picked up on the fluent movements required to perform the deadly dance quickly and soon had skill that could rival the Legion's years of extreme training.

His dad had often tried to teach him how to use firearms, but the child could not learn, as if he was born in the medieval ages. The only ranged weapons he could use were bows, which he found a pre-war design of in one of Doc Mitchell's many books.

Today was Link's seventeenth birthday, and he was outside swinging his sword lazily, going through random swings or small katas. He had already greeted Sunny and Trudy as he walked to the cemetery, where he felt the presence of the courier that brought his family together best. He felt if he trained where the courier rose from the dead, he too could be a hero.

"Link!" came his mother's voice. They had chosen his name as a "link" the the courier. It seemed everything about Link was connected to the courier. His name, inspiration, and even his family got it's roots from the person who had saved New Vegas.

Link put his sword in a scabbard made from brahmin skin that he had made and jogged towards his house. After Victor didn't return, the town agreed that the family could stay in his old shack. Link and Carlitos had even helped build more into the shack, allowing his parents to have a separate room from Link's.

Link opened the door to see his mother waiting for him with his list of chores for today. Normally, Link had to gather materials for cooking, as well as draw water from Goodsprings Source. After that he helped feed and tend to the neighbor's bighorners. then used the rest of his time as he pleased.

Link grabbed his bow and left to scavenge for any kind of edible plant. Link's favorite food was a gecko soup, which he rarely ate, as gecko's no longer frequented the area. Link picked some prickly pears and some horse nettle, then moved onto finding some Xander roots and some broc flower, just in case someone in the family got hurt. Link's last stop was to grab a large amount of Pinyon Nuts, as they were easy to work with whilst cooking. As he moved past the wells, he drew a few buckets of water, but there he saw something he never thought he'd see anytime soon, a gecko.

Link drew his bow with a pleased smile on his face and loaded an arrow, he drew the string back and let it loose. The projectile flew into the gecko's stomach, but unfortunately, did not kill it. The creature took off and Link cursed under his breath, setting the water down. He nocked another arrow and took off towards the critter. The beast was faster than Link but as it entered a straight run, Link knew he had it.

He drew back the string and let the arrow fly, sending it into the back of the reptile's head. Link celebrated in his mind as he ran to collect his prize, laughing the whole way. Link picked up the beast's body, finding it surprisingly heavy. This meant that the gecko had more meat than others, _and_ that it had something supporting it. Most likely a nest, and a full nest from the looks of how this one ate.

Link followed the gecko's tracks and began to notice a slight fade in them. The gecko must have walked rather slowly until it made its way to the wells. Finally, there were signs of other tracks, a lot of other tracks.

Link smiled at the good fortune and made his way to the nest, drawing his bow once more. He nocked an arrow and listened carefully, hoping to catch one of the gecko's distinguishable squeals.

As Link reached the crest of the large hill, he spotted his prey. The nest was of an average size, so there were only five to six of the creatures, but each was plump enough to feed a person for weeks. He smirked at his luck and slowly drew back an arrow. His first projectile hit home as it drove itself through its target's skull. Upon seeing their dead comrade, the other geckos turned to attack Link. The monsters raced toward the boy, showing their menacing teeth, ready to strike him down.

Suddenly, the geckos slowed and sniffed at the air. As if they had seen a ghoul, they turned and fled. Link watched his prey in shock until the scent of smoke filled his nostrils. Link coughed to clear his lungs and turned to see a large smoke stack. Obviously, Link feared the worst for his friends and family. He slung his bow over his shoulder and made a dash for his home town.

Once he arrived, he saw someone who his parents had told him of, but never thought he would see, Omertas. Link drew his sword and raced into the town, ready to cut down the first of the casino family members he saw. As he drew near, gunshots could be heard, obviously 5.56 bullets, so it was more than likely Sunny. His thoughts were proven right as he heard Cheyenne's vicious snarl accompany the gunshots. He turned the corner of the cafe to see several Omertas firing rounds out of their normal 9mm pistols.

Link let out a vicious battle cry as he plunged his blade through the Omertas' chest, causing him to gargle and gain the attention of his fellow family members. They pointed their guns at Link, ready to fire, when another voice stopped them.

"Hold on here." it said as a shorter man appeared through the crowd.

The man smirked "So you're Joana's brat? You look like her quite a lot. But from what I can tell, there's no way you're from Carlitos' seed, if he has any balls to contain any in the first place."

Link pointed his sword forward, spinning it in a show of skill. The small man chuckled.

"He is strong," the man started "mayhaps we sell him to the Legion, get us a pretty cap."

Link's throat tightened at the mention of Legionaries, he thought they had moved out, but it seemed they were back. But how was that possible, hadn't the courier killed Ceasar and Legate Lanius?

Unfortunately, his thoughts were cut short as there was a sudden pain in the back of his said. He tried to see who had struck him, but it was too late, the world turned black and Link sank into unconsciousness.


End file.
